Pictures
by AmberLeaves
Summary: Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” Dorothea Lange


Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

"For me, photographs take their power from memory and emotion. A picture tells its own story, shaped by the mood or insights of the person you are at the time you see it. It becomes layered with the past and the present."

Anonymous

Kenshin was flipping through an absolutely enormous photo album in his library when Kenji came in, checking shelves and desks as he walked toward his father.

"Hey dad, mom said my bokken was in here, have you-"

He did a double take. "Woah. Dad, what is that?"

Kenshin gazed fondly at the ragged dog-eared book.

"It's our family photo album."

"Oh."

Kenji flipped through the album. Every single page, from beginning to end, was filled with photos.

"Where did all the pictures come from!?" he asked incredulously.

"You know that old camera over there?" Kenshin said, pointing to a scratched up, slightly dented, black camera.

Kenji blinked. "Well yeah, it's been there forever hasn't it?"

"I used to do amateur photography and take a picture every single living minute. Your mom would always twitch whenever I started snapping pictures of her while we were dating."

Suddenly Kenshin perked up. "Would you like to see a picture of her back then?"

Kenji nodded eagerly. From what he'd heard from Yahiko, his mom had been quite ugly back then. Not that Kenji would tell her that of course. Yahiko had spent days being nursed by Tsubame after screaming "BUSU!" to the whole dojo. Besides, Kenji thought his mom was all-right looking, to put it comfortably.

Kenshin flipped to a page in the beginning of the book after searching around for a bit. With a triumphant smile, he pointed to a picture smack dab in the middle of the page.

It was surrounded by pictures of Kaoru smiling, frowning, or waving a bokken at the camera with a furious expression on her face. In a tiny space above the picture Kenshin had found for Kenji, someone had scribbled 'Kaoru: High School.'

Kenji peered over his shoulder cautiously. What he saw made his eyes widen to amazing proportions. Pushing Kenshin to the side, ("ORO?") he examined the old picture, amazed.

"She's looks like she's as old as me!" he told Kenshin. "Mom's really pretty." He added after a minute. He stared at the picture again.

In the picture, Kaoru was dressed in her high school uniform, a dark blue blouse with a white skirt that stopped at mid-thigh. Kaoru's cheeks flushed a slight pink and her eyes sparkled with suppressed amusement as she held up her books threateningly at the camera. In the distance, Kenji could faintly see a group of fan girls and guys-

Wait.

Fan guys?!?

* * *

"No pictures, Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled, stifling a giggle as the book hit him with a thunk. Her aim had improved after long years of practice. A befuddled "Orooo…" could be heard from the bushes.

Curiously, Kaoru picked up the camera Kenshin had dropped and examined it. The new one seemed to be much sturdier than his old camera.

After Kaoru had 'tapped' it lightly with her bokken at her dojo, his old camera completely stopped working. The lens wouldn't close and the buttons useless. Kenshin had taken it to a camera repair store and the owner declared it impossible to fix. Kenshin was depressed for weeks on end, often staring mournfully at the broken camera and moaning on and on about 'not enough money for a new one…'

Even though Kaoru hated Kenshin for taking so many pictures of her (it reminded Kaoru of paparazzi on the streets, stalking their prey,) she hated seeing her boyfriend like this. Out of pure guilt and worry, she brought him a new camera with two months worth of savings.

Kenshin had brightened considerably since then.

Kenshin fruitlessly lunged for the camera. With a casual twist of her hips, Kaoru easily avoided him and continued to look at the camera. It was a photographer's dream camera. The scratch resistant lens shone in the sun, and an enormous amount of memory could be stored directly into the camera's black, durable, and light body. An employee of the electronics store had assured her that it would last a lifetime.

She sighed and handed it back to a relieved Kenshin. Immediately he began checking for scratches. Satisfied, he checked the picture he had took of Kaoru. His face lit up and he placed the camera carefully back into his messenger bag. Kenshin looked up, only to find that Kaoru was tugging at his sleeve, looking anxiously at her watch.

"Hurry Kenshin!" she hissed. "They might catch us before we get on school grounds!"

Kenshin glanced backwards and started to run, picking up Kaoru bridal style. She shrieked loudly, alerting the fan clubs of their presence. The crowd of people who had been haphazardly wandering the streets pursued them with a deafening roar, as if they had just caught the scent of something yummy.

Lately the fan clubs of Kenshin and Kaoru had been more active than usual. Instead of the usual stealthy stalking, they began chasing after the couple in screaming mobs. The fan clubs all seemed to have one thing in mind, but the two couldn't quite figure it out.

They had tried asking around the school, but most of the students would stare at them like they were idiots or giggle away into a classroom.

And then there were the boys.

Almost everyday at lunch a boy (and once or twice a girl) would try to ask her out. Big emphasis on the word 'try'. Whenever anyone started walking towards Kaoru with asking her out on their mind, people claimed that they could feel the air freeze and a glare pressing against their skull. Most people changed directions instantly.

This confused Kaoru. And Kenshin a bit too.

Finally Kaoru cornered her friend Misao in the hallway. In a threatening voice, she said, "Misao, tell me what's going on or face the wrath of one that is both taller and stronger than you."

Misao glared at her. Give her a couple kunai and she could easily gouge Kaoru's eyes out. But, given that she was a kind and loving soul, her next shipment of supplies wouldn't come until next week. Oooh…the kunai would be coming with shuriken and shuko too…

A hard shake yanked Misao out of her daydream. With an indignant huff, she strode away, calling over her shoulder, "It's almost prom night, silly!"

* * *

Kenshin stopped to find that the twins, Kanami and Yoko, where sitting in Kenji's lap. They all waited expectantly for Kenshim's next words.

"Um…would you like to see her on prom night?" He ventured cautiously.

They all nodded rapidly and crowded around the photo album, waiting for the next picture.

* * *

For some strange reason I wasn't quite satisfied with that. But it would help a lot if I had a beta. Someone who goes online quite often and will point out plot holes. That would make me a happy camper. (Does the happy dance.) Something I've found quite interesting is that when I ask for reviews, they come, so please review! (Does the happy dance again.) And I'm going to continue that supposed one-shot. I liked that one too much to let it sit in the corner, collecting cyber dust.

In other news, I lost my Lion King!(Does the unhappy dance.) See profile if your wondering about this. Sooobbb…my friend Sam is laughing while I type. Grr…


End file.
